The present invention relates to a method for operating an automation system comprising a plurality of networked computer units, and to the automation system.
Industrial automation systems are used to monitor, control and regulate technical processes, in particular in the field of production and process automation, and enable operation of machines and industrial installations which is intended to be performed as autonomously and independently of human intervention as possible. On account of the constantly increasing importance of information technology for automation systems comprising numerous networked computer units, methods for reliably configuring and activating distributed services for providing monitoring, controlling and regulating functions are gaining increasing importance. According to previous approaches to solutions, configuration data in distributed automation systems are provided by device-specific configuration systems and are used to activate a local service. In addition, the respective local service was previously immediately activated upon the provision of configuration data without further checking. In the case of distributed services whose service components are provided by a plurality of different computer units, uncoordinated configuration and activation of individual systems may result in problematic inconsistencies which jeopardize the fault-free provision of a service and have a disadvantageous effect on system stability and availability.